第98章 BOOK VIII(2)

And by fortune King Meliodas,her husband,found the piece with wine where was the poison,and he that was much thirsty took the piece for to drink thereout.And as he would have drunken thereof the queen espied him,and then she ran unto him,and pulled the piece from him suddenly.The king marvelled why she did so,and remembered him how her son was suddenly slain with poison.And then he took her by the hand,and said:Thou false traitress,thou shalt tell me what manner of drink this is,or else I shall slay thee.And therewith he pulled out his sword,and sware a great oath that he should slay her but if she told him truth.Ah!mercy,my lord,said she,and I shall tell you all.And then she told him why she would have slain Tristram,because her children should rejoice his land.Well,said King Meliodas,and therefore shall ye have the law.And so she was condemned by the assent of the barons to be burnt;and then was there made a great fire,and right as she was at the fire to take her execution,young Tristram kneeled afore King Meliodas,and besought him to give him a boon.I will well,said the king again.Then said young Tristram,Give me the life of thy queen,my stepmother.That is unrightfully asked,said King Meliodas,for thou ought of right to hate her,for she would have slain thee with that poison an she might have had her will;and for thy sake most is my cause that she should die.

Sir,said Tristram,as for that,I beseech you of your mercy that you will forgive it her,and as for my part,God forgive it her,and I do;and so much it liked your highness to grant me my boon,for God's love I require you hold your promise.Sithen it is so,said the king,I will that ye have her life.Then,said the king,I give her to you,and go ye to the fire and take her,and do with her what ye will.So Sir Tristram went to the fire,and by the commandment of the king delivered her from the death.But after that King Meliodas would never have ado with her,as at bed and board.But by the good means of young Tristram he made the king and her accorded.But then the king would not suffer young Tristram to abide no longer in his court.

CHAPTER III

How Sir Tristram was sent into France,and had one to govern him named Gouvernail,and how he learned to harp,hawk,and hunt.

AND then he let ordain a gentleman that was well learned and taught,his name was Gouvernail;and then he sent young Tristram with Gouvernail into France to learn the language,and nurture,and deeds of arms.And there was Tristram more than seven years.

And then when he well could speak the language,and had learned all that he might learn in that country,then he came home to his father,King Meliodas,again.And so Tristram learned to be an harper passing all other,that there was none such called in no country,and so on harping and on instruments of music he applied him in his youth for to learn.

And after,as he grew in might and strength,he laboured ever in hunting and in hawking,so that never gentleman more,that ever we heard read of.And as the book saith,he began good measures of blowing of beasts of venery,and beasts of chase,and all manner of vermin,and all these terms we have yet of hawking and hunting.And therefore the book of venery,of hawking,and hunting,is called the book of Sir Tristram.Wherefore,as meseemeth,all gentlemen that bear old arms ought of right to honour Sir Tristram for the goodly terms that gentlemen have and use,and shall to the day of doom,that thereby in a manner all men of worship may dissever a gentleman from a yeoman,and from a yeoman a villain.For he that gentle is will draw him unto gentle tatches,and to follow the customs of noble gentlemen.

Thus Sir Tristram endured in Cornwall until he was big and strong,of the age of eighteen years.And then the King Meliodas had great joy of Sir Tristram,and so had the queen,his wife.

For ever after in her life,because Sir Tristram saved her from the fire,she did never hate him more after,but loved him ever after,and gave Tristram many great gifts;for every estate loved him,where that he went.

CHAPTER IV

How Sir Marhaus came out of Ireland for to ask truage of Cornwall,or else he would fight therefore.

THEN it befell that King Anguish of Ireland sent unto King Mark of Cornwall for his truage,that Cornwall had paid many winters.

And all that time King Mark was behind of the truage for seven years.And King Mark and his barons gave unto the messenger of Ireland these words and answer,that they would none pay;and bade the messenger go unto his King Anguish,and tell him we will pay him no truage,but tell your lord,an he will always have truage of us of Cornwall,bid him send a trusty knight of his land,that will fight for his right,and we shall find another for to defend our right.With this answer the messengers departed into Ireland.And when King Anguish understood the answer of the messengers he was wonderly wroth.And then he called unto him Sir Marhaus,the good knight,that was nobly proved,and a Knight of the Table Round.And this Marhaus was brother unto the queen of Ireland.Then the king said thus:

Fair brother,Sir Marhaus,I pray you go into Cornwall for my sake,and do battle for our truage that of right we ought to have;and whatsomever ye spend ye shall have sufficiently,more than ye shall need.Sir,said Marhaus,wit ye well that I shall not be loath to do battle in the right of you and your land with the best knight of the Table Round;for I know them,for the most part,what be their deeds;and for to advance my deeds and to increase my worship I will right gladly go unto this journey for our right.